Tintin and the Return of Rastapopoulos
by Goldenscar
Summary: I've always loved The Adventures of Tintin, and it always bothered me that the girls are portrayed as weak or stupid. So, in this story, Tintin has a cousin that helps him on his adventures. No romance, no slash, just lots of adventure and action. Please R and R!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Marlinspike Hall was ablaze with morning cheer. The branches of the trees blew pleasantly in the light morning wind, the sun danced through the windows, and birds sang as if they didn't have a care in the world. The mansion itself looked grand as always, and the passersby outside sometimes halted their early morning walks for a second or two to admire its beauty.

_Yes, _thought Vicki to herself as she opened the curtains to her room. _I'm lucky to live in such an impressive house. And that's putting it mildly._ She smiled as she whirled around, her ginger hair flying, her light blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight. She loved Marlinspike, and the adventures and good times it had brought her.

Of course, it hadn't been so easy to find good times before that…

She shook the thought out of her head. It was a splendid morning, why worry oneself with the past?

_Because the past is ever present._

Vicki sighed as she plopped down on her bed and closed her eyes. It wasn't her fault that her parents had been drug addicts, that they had forced her poor older brother, Tiger, to follow their example, that Tiger had become a different person. When her parents had died that night from too much marijuana, Vicki had felt no remorse at all. And she wasn't feeling guilty about that, either. Her parents had never cared a bit about her, or her brother.

Tiger had been sent to a drug rehab, and she had been sent to live with her cousin, Tintin, whom she had never heard of before. But when she had met him, she decided that he wasn't bad at all; in fact, he fought against drugs! Vicki smiled at this. She had been living in Marlinspike for about a month now, and gotten to know Captain Haddock, a retired sea captain, Professor Calculus, whom she often thought of as a mad scientist and rarely was able to hear exactly what was being stated to him, and Nestor, the butler.

And especially Tintin, who was the only family member Vicki had ever had that cared about her, that is, after her brother started doing drugs.

And who could forget Snowy? Vicki sighed happily as she thought about Tintin's loyal, little white dog. A fox terrier, she had decided. Snowy was the best, and Vicki played with him as much as she could.

And then there were Thompson and Thomson. Vicki grinned as she recalled the clumsy detectives who stumbled over their own two feet quite a lot. They stopped by once in a while to talk to Tintin about some case or another, and he always gave his sage advice which, when followed by the detectives, always seemed to work.

Vicki rolled onto her stomach. It was time to start another glorious day at Marlinspike. Her heart burst with happiness as she opened the door, not to her insane parents, or her insane brother, but to a beautiful mansion. She raced down the stairs to the breakfast table, where Tintin and Captain Haddock were already up and eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Vicki," greeted Tintin, smiling warmly as he gestured to an empty seat.

Captain ignored her entrance, which was odd, since he usually had a gruffer version of Tintin's acknowledgement. "I say, have you seen this article on…"

"Drug smuggling, yes," Tintin finished for him. "The Thompsons rung me late last night and told me they were on the case. Which means they should be here any minute now."

"Drug smuggling?" Vicki asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Tintin answered absently, staring out the window, his brow furrowed like it always was when he was thinking. "In South America. It's grown to be rather a big problem, and Interpol has decided to step in." He narrowed his eyes and began twirling his cereal spoon around in his bowl.

"Miss Victoria," called Nestor, rushing in. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Toast's fine. Thanks, Nestor," she said, taking the seat Tintin had gestured to. "Captain, do they know who's behind it?"

"No leads," Captain said glumly. He rustled the paper and flipped the page.

Vicki swallowed and glanced between Tintin, who was thinking so hard he had begun to mutter to himself, to Captain, who had settled back in his chair and seemed to be pondering something, hiding his face in the morning paper.

"Come on, what is it?" she asked. "I can tell it's not a normal case."

Tintin averted his cousin's eyes and gazed at the perfectly polished floor. Captain cleared his throat loudly and folded up the paper, raising his eyebrows at Tintin.

"Well?" Vicki prompted them.

"It's marijuana," Tintin said softly. "And the police have reason to believe it's the very same drug company that sold to your parents."

Captain settled back in his chair and lit his pipe. Vicki wondered if he was trying to ease the tension.

"Then…" Vicki gazed at her cousin. "I might be able to tell you some things."

"Yes," said Tintin eagerly. "I realize it's a sore subject, but please, Vicki, it would help the police out so much, and you still have access to your old house, you might be able to dig something up…"

Vicki bit her lip and glanced at Captain, who had buried himself in the paper again. Nestor entered carrying a plate of toast and set it on the table. From the floor, Snowy let out an exhilarated whimper as the cat always lurking around Marlinspike ran in, then retreated down the hall.

"I might not be able to remember it all," she said slowly. "But I'll help in any way I possibly can."

"There's a good lass," said Captain, who had been listening from behind the papers, obviously awaiting her response.

Vicki smiled nervously and opened her mouth to say something when the doorbell rang.

"And who would like to take a guess as to who that is?" asked Tintin, smirking a bit.

Captain grimaced and puffed on his pipe. "Here we go again, on another wild adventure. Out of all the reporters in the world, I had to meet this one."

Tintin grinned and raced for the door as Captain shook his head and rolled his eyes, and Vicki knew that he was just joking. She ran after Tintin and skidded to a slick halt in the entrance hall.

"Hello, Tintin!" said the two men as one, giving Nestor their hats and canes.

"Good morning, detectives," said Tintin, smiling as he led them to the sitting room. Vicki followed close behind, hoping that Tintin would let her stay for the interview.

"So, gentlemen, what can I do for you?" Tintin asked. Vicki hovered in the doorway, waiting to be invited in.

"Well, actually," Thompson started, then noticed Vicki. "Good morning, Vicki!"

"Good morning, sirs," she returned, entering and sitting by Tintin on the couch.

"It's about what we were telling you last night," Thompson continued to Tintin. "About the drug smuggling in South America."

"Yes." Tintin nodded and interlaced his fingers. "I read the article in the paper today. Did it contain all the facts?"

"The public ones, yes," Thomson answered.

"Give me the private ones," Tintin declared, leaning forward slightly, his eyes sparkling.

"The operation is run by a man you know well," said Thompson.

"Quite right, Thompson; the well is run by a man you know through operation," Thomson clarified.

"Who?" asked Tintin.

"I trust you remember our good friend Rastapopoulos?" inquired Thompson.

"Of course I remember Rastapopoulos," answered Tintin. "But I thought he had given up on drug smuggling."

"Wait, who's Rastapopoulos?" asked Vicki, glancing from Tintin to the Thompsons and then back again.

"Rastapopoulos is a drug smuggler, whose operation failed. He then tried to kidnap the millionaire Lazlo Carreidas, and that little scheme failed miserably. Not that I remember how," he added, slightly confused. "I have a feeling that he shouldn't be alive, but I just can't remember…" he shook his head slightly. "It's of little concern. We need to focus on getting him behind bars now."

"What's the plan?" Vicki asked Tintin.

"The plan is that we go to South America and see what awaits us," he said, a little surprised. "Whereabouts?" he asked the Thompsons, taking out some paper and a pen.

"Caracas, capital of Venezuela," replied Thomson.

"Brilliant. I should like to accompany you on your voyage," said Tintin. It was more of an order than a request.

"Of course, Tintin," said Thompson. "We shall be glad to have you along."

"Wait!" Vicki cried. "I want to come!"

The detectives and her cousin turned to look at her.

"I want to make sure they're stopped. I want them behind bars. I want marijuana to disappear off the face of the earth." She crossed her arms stubbornly and waited for an argument.

No one defied her, so she assumed that was a yes. "When are we leaving?" she asked

"I have tickets for tomorrow," answered Thomson.

"We'll meet you at the airport. See you then, gentlemen. Goodbye," Tintin called as the departing police grabbed their hats and sticks and promptly tripped on their way out.

Their argument became distant as Tintin and Vicki headed into the kitchen again. "Can't you watch where you're going?" "Where I'm going! You're the one who tripped, I was just following!" "Exactly, you were too close, how was I supposed to…"

**Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me anything I did wrong. I will accept good and bad reviews! I tried to stick to everyone's characters, and I think I did a pretty good job staying consistent, but please tell me if I didn't. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Where are you going?" Captain asked Tintin as he marched through the kitchen and headed up the stairs.

"To my room to pack a suitcase," Tintin responded matter-of-factly.

"Where are _you _going?" Captain asked Vicki as she opened the door and started toward the gardens.

"On a walk," she said vaguely.

Once they had both gone, Captain glanced at the stairs where Tintin had disappeared, then at the door where Vicki had, and then shrugged, returning to the papers and smoking his pipe.

Up in his room, Tintin threw clothes into his suitcase he always kept in the closet. He had to admit to himself that he was more than a little hesitant to bring his cousin along. She was fifteen, while he was seventeen, and he had much more experience. But he had read the emotion rocketing from her eyes, and he knew she wanted revenge.

"I wonder if her parents would have been a decent sort if it wasn't for the marijuana?" he wondered out loud to himself.

He felt something nudge his leg. He glanced down to see Snowy, who let out a muffled whimper from behind the object he was holding in his teeth.

"Ah, my trench coat. Thank you, Snowy, no good would come out of forgetting that." He bent over to retrieve it from his faithful dog. "Why don't you go find Vicki? She looked rather pensive."

She had. She really had. Tintin smiled as he thought about how much his cousin resembled him. Same ginger hair, same blue eyes, and apparently the same mind, as well. Maybe bringing her along would be useful. Tintin knew that most people would object to bringing a girl along on such an adventure, but he saw no reason to limit the joys of bringing criminals to justice to only boys. Vicki was smart, and besides, having some company would be nice. Not that Snowy had ever left him, but still it would be nice to have another human on hand.

Snowy understood his master's order, and left immediately. From downstairs, Tintin could hear the very confused Captain say to Snowy, "And where are _you _going?" He grinned to himself as he tossed his trench coat in with the rest of his clothes.

"Captain?" he called, racing down the stairs.

"Tintin! There you are! Blistering barnacles, what is going on? Everyone's in a hurry today. I don't believe I've even seen Cuthbert emerge from his lab yet!" Captain put down the paper, which, Tintin noticed, he was reading for the third time.

"The Thompsons told me that Rastapopoulos was behind the whole marijuana organization," Tintin replied. "Remember Flight 714?"

"Shouldn't he be dead?" asked Captain, narrowing his eyes and struggling to remember the details.

"I feel like that too," sighed Tintin, sitting down beside his friend. "Remember, we got that weird case of amnesia. I can't remember a thing."

They sat, the air thick with their musings, when Snowy ran in followed closely by Vicki, who was giggling as the dog woofed, and they ran through the kitchen and out of sight.

Tintin smiled at Captain. "I'm sure it'll be fine." Vicki's playfulness seemed to be contagious, and he himself had caught it.

"You're right," Captain summed up. "You'll go to South America, and I'll…" he broke off when he saw the reporter smiling teasingly and shaking his head.

"You should know by now that that isn't how it works, Captain," Tintin said, standing up. "The Thompsons have tickets for me, you, themselves, and Vicki. We're all going."

"And I'll come with you," Captain corrected himself, rolling his eyes in defeat.

"Good," said Tintin. "That settles that, then. We'll leave tomorrow. All of us," he added, when it looked like Captain Haddock was going to protest again.

"Fine," said Captain, slumping over in his chair. But don't say I didn't warn you, lad."

He returned to the papers, which would make it the fourth time through that he was reading them, and Tintin exited in pursuit of Vicki and Snowy.

He found the two in the sitting room, where Vicki was tossing a ball and Snowy was catching it neatly in his teeth. Tintin watched from the doorway, leaning against the wall.

"Doesn't that seem like a better outdoor game?" he hinted, raising his eyebrows.

Snowy barked with glee as he ran to his master. Vicki sighed in exasperation and said, "I suppose, Tintin."

Tintin cast a wary eye to the vase resting on the cabinet. He remembered the very day he and Captain had bought it- they were out taking a walk together, and Captain's sharp eye had spotted it. It was one of the many marks of their longstanding friendship that Tintin had seen it at the same time and had the same thought to buy it. If that ball had hit it…

Vicki and Snowy paraded out, through the kitchen, where Captain was still reading the papers, and out the door, to the garden. Tintin followed them to the door, then turned to the Captain.

"You had better start packing," he reminded him, smirking. Captain rolled his eyes and stood up, and the two friends walked up the stairs together, and each went to their own room.

**Please review! I will take suggestions, criticism, and compliments! So please please please please review! Thanks for reading! I know that not much happened in this chapter, but I promise you, it will soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next morning, Vicki awoke to someone roughly shaking her about.

"Get off, Tiger," she growled to her brother. "I know you've been smoking that disgusting stuff again. Let me sleep in peace."

A gentle laugh met her ears- much nicer than the sarcastic reply she had expected. "Vicki, it's Tintin."

"Oh!" Vicki sat up, saw her cousin, and felt like smacking herself. "I'm sorry. I'm just so used to waking up to Tiger or Mom or Dad, telling me to go to school when they wouldn't be allowed in public themselves."

Tintin laughed again, then gestured to the clock. "We need to get a move on. Our plane leaves at seven."

Vicki yawned and turned to check the time. "Five in the morning! Tintin!"

"Vicki, when you're in my line of work, you have to get used to getting up early, or staying up all night," he explained. "The captain is already up…"

"Not willingly, he's not. Blistering barnacles, here we go on another wild goose chase…" Captain Haddock's voice faded as he went down the stairs.

Tintin sighed. "Okay, he's almost up. But be down in five minutes, Vicki, we need to be ready soon. The Thompsons are going to be picking us up at 6:30, we need to leave Nestor instructions…" and he kept naming things and ticking items off on his fingers as he hurried out of Vicki's bedroom.

Snowy remained, curled up in a corner, his head tucked under his tail, his eyes shut tightly.

"I guess you're used to this, huh?" Vicki asked him.

Snowy gave a low growl, as if he was saying, _You better believe it. _

"Snowy! Come here, boy!" Tintin's voice called up the stairs.

Snowy gave a much more audible growl, licked Vicki's hand briefly, and trotted grumpily out the door to his master.

Vicki stood up, stretched, closed the door, and got dressed, randomly tossing things into her suitcase as she went. She was glad she had a way to get back at the people who had destroyed her life, and glad that she had a caring cousin to help her. (And a caring dog, and a caring captain, and two caring-and clumsy-detectives) Yes, life was good.

Once she had finished dressing, Vicki yanked the door open and almost bumped into Professor Calculus.

"Sorry, Professor!" she apologized.

"Yes, yes, they're fine, thank you. But, Vicki, the common custom is to say that you're sorry after you bump into someone, not to ask about their roses." Professor Cuthbert Calculus adjusted his glasses.

"I'll remember. Good day!" Vicki raced down the stairs.

"Pay for what?" asked Calculus behind her, sounding quite confused indeed.

Vicki smiled to herself at the almost-deaf professor, then ran down the hall to the breakfast table.

"Yesterday sure was beautiful." Captain sighed wistfully as he gazed out the window at the slight drizzle of rain and the gray, gloomy storm clouds threatening overhead.

"I'm sure Caracas will be just as beautiful," Tintin assured him. "I've always liked South America."

"I'm sure you have. Thundering typhoons, I can't think of a single place I haven't been after I met you. Let's see, shall we? The Middle East, Tibet, Bordoria, the blasted _moon_…" Captain let his voice trail off.

"Good morning," quavered Vicki from the doorway.

"Good morning, Vicki," replied Tintin, smiling at her.

"Morning, lass." Captain lit up his pipe. "Welcome to the beginning of the end. You might be excited now, but a year from now, you'll be sick of these little exploits. Trust me. Also, be warned that your cousin is the world's most active globe-trotting reporter." He sighed and ruffled the paper.

"Any word?" asked Tintin glancing at his irritated friend out of the corner of his eye.

"None," the angry captain responded, scanning the pages.

"Your morning tea, Miss Victoria." Nestor put a cup on the table, with Vicki's favorite steaming hot tea inside.

"Thank you, Nestor," she said happily. She wasn't sure whether Captain's warning was to be taken seriously or if he was just kidding around with Tintin, or maybe a bit of both, but she was excited to be traveling. She had never been out of Europe before.

After breakfast, Tintin, Captain, and Vicki each had a little more packing to do, which kept them occupied until 6:30, when the Thompsons pulled up and began to stroll calmly toward the house.

"I say, Thomson, I don't see why we couldn't have taken a later flight."

"Precisely, Thompson, we couldn't see a fight later," agreed Thomson.

The sentence was no sooner out of his mouth when they both simultaneously tripped on the stairs leading up to the majestic Marlinspike Hall.

Nestor opened the door, staring in shock at the two detectives.

"We demand in the name of the law that you get these stairs fixed!" cried Thomson.

"That's right! We name the demand that the stairs get fixed by law!" Thomson and Thompson gathered their belongings and marched up the stairs to face Nestor, who hurried to get Tintin, Captain, and Vicki.

"Really are outrageous, these stairs are," complained Thompson.

"Really!" Thomson supported.

"Really what?" asked Tintin as he hoisted his heavy suitcase up almost effortlessly. Standing in the background with Captain, Vicki admired her cousin's strength. Captain noticed her staring.

"Comes from years of pulling impossible feats. That boy thinks he's a superhuman," Captain grunted, fondly paging through memories.

Vicki smiled. "But it looks like he is!"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was," Captain agreed.

Snowy let out a whimper of understanding near Vicki's feet. She grinned down at the fox terrier, and she could have sworn he winked at her.

"Snowy! Captain! Vicki!" Tintin summoned them. "Come on, we must hurry." He followed the Thompsons out the door, with Snowy, Captain, and Vicki trailing behind.

They all piled into the Thompsons' car, which, Vicki noted, was rather scratched up. She smirked a little as she wondered whether each scratch had a story behind it. Knowing its owners, she figured they did, and probably wild and crazy tales, too.

"So I gather you're a little scared by Captain's stories," Tintin whispered in her ear.

She squirmed a little. "Yeah, just a bit," she agreed. "I mean… I really don't want me or you or our friends to get hurt. If this guy is as dangerous as you say…"

Tintin sighed, and stroked his cousin's hair as if comforting her. "Vicki, just let me tell you something. I will never, never, ever abandon you or my other friends, no matter how dangerous it is. Do you understand?" His tone was fierce, and his eyes shone with a passion. He cared about his friends. He would never leave them to die. His expression scared Vicki, but it also made her feel safer than she ever had, her whole life.

"I understand," she promised.

"Good." Tintin's face relaxed into its usual expression: a sincere smile, blue eyes greeting the sights they were taking in warmly. Vicki smiled back, and gazed out the window, feeling warm inside. Now that there was someone who cared about her, she felt like she could conquer the world.

The airport was busy. Very busy. Tintin navigated it like an expert, his companions following close behind.

"I've never been in an airport before," Vicki marveled.

"Lucky," muttered Captain. Tintin rolled his eyes.

"You'll warm up to the trip soon, Captain, Caracas is absolutely stunning." Tintin said this rather absent-mindedly, as though his focus was elsewhere.

"There's our plane," said Thompson, pointing.

Tintin glanced up from the tourist book on Caracas he was reading. "Goodness, you're right," he agreed. He strode toward it. His friends flocked behind, as always.

Tintin stopped mid-stride, sending Captain flying into him. "Blistering barnacles, now what?"

"What?" asked Vicki, skidding to a stop.

"What is the cause for this fuss?" demanded Thompson.

"Yes, for the cause of the fuss."

"Something's not right," muttered Tintin, studying the plane.

"Oh," groaned Captain.

"Nonsense. I purchased these tickets myself, the plane is perfectly safe," coaxed Thomson.

"Yes, the tickets themselves are safe," clarified Thompson.

"No, no, no, I'm positive!" cried Tintin.

"You always are. Now get in the plane!" Captain pushed Tintin on, then followed himself.

"Mark my words," Tintin whispered to Vicki as she sat beside him. "Something just is not right."

**Thank you for reading! Please review! Little Christian, thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you like it! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"I have to admit, there is something bizarre going on."

That was Captain, observing the plane. Tintin, Captain, Vicki, Thomson, Thompson, and Snowy appeared to be the only passengers. The flight attendants were all South American, with an accent and everything.

"The peanuts are stale," grumbled Thomson.

"Quite right, Thomson: the peanuts are stale," agreed Thompson, throwing his to Snowy, who turned up his nose at it.

Tintin remained silent, taking in all his surroundings. Vicki stared out the window, nibbling on a stale peanut.

"Drug running is a very serious crime," he commented loudly.

"Blistering barnacles, Tintin!" hissed Captain. "You don't want them to think we suspect something!"

The flight attendants, who were gathered at the back of the plane, were whispering among themselves, glancing at Tintin now and then.

"Yes, very serious," Tintin continued. Captain sent him a warning look, Snowy gazed up at his master, confused, and Thompson and Thomson paused their mumbles about peanuts to stare at him.

"I agree," said Vicki, shooting her cousin a nonplussed look.

He smiled at her, encouraging her.

"Yes," she said, picking up speed. "It's a good thing we're on our way to stop it." She still had no idea what his plan was, but he seemed to want her to play along.

The Thompsons returned to their peanuts, Captain returned to his papers, and Snowy returned to his nap. Apparently, they were used to Tintin's ideas. But Vicki wasn't. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"You'll see," he promised. "Hopefully very soon."

"NOW!" The pilot yelled from the cockpit.

The flight attendants pulled out guns from their pockets. "Hands up!"

Vicki gasped, and turned to see Tintin, Captain, Thompson, and Thomson obey. "You're just going to do what they say?" she asked.

"He has a gun," Captain pointed out, rolling his eyes at her.

"But… we need to stop them! They probably have marijuana aboard this very plane!"

"I said, 'hand's up,'" said one of the attendants, exasperated. He thrust the gun to her shoulder. "That goes for you too, girlie."

Snarling at being called 'girlie' Vicki registered his command and complied. Another attendant began tying them up, and he started with Tintin.

"You seem awfully calm," the South American man sneered to Tintin.

"This isn't my first kidnapping," he returned smoothly. "Where are you taking us?"

Even with a gun rammed in her side, Vicki observed Tintin's grace in handling the situation. Captain didn't seem to share that grace- he could be heard in the background- "Monkeys! Rapscallions! Miserable earth worms! Vultures! Crooks!"

"Why would we tell you?" asked the man tying Tintin up.

The reporter shrugged. "Is there any point in _not _telling us?"

The man paused and pondered this for a minute. Tintin tapped his foot, waiting.

_Was this a plan to knock him out? No, then the other attendants would shoot him. I wonder what he's doing?_ Vicki frowned in thought as she surveyed the scene before her.

"Body-snatchers! Buccaneers! Pirates! Crabapples!"

"Captain!" Vicki whispered, nudging him and pointing at Tintin.

Captain fell silent. Thompson and Thomson, however, kept yelling something about being policemen and getting arrested.

Tintin really _had _puzzled the man. "I… don't… know…" he replied, gazing around at his comrades.

Wait! Where was Snowy? Then, smirking a little, Vicki saw Tintin's plan. She elbowed Captain and pointed to where Snowy had been sitting. He got it, and grinned at her.

Tintin knew he had to keep talking. "What are you going to do with us?"

The man shook himself out of his cloud of thought and answered Tintin's question. "We're going to make it look like an accident. You know, tell the police you were addicted and took too many doses. Then, you'll be out of our hair for good, and we can continue with our plan."

Captain forgot his vow of silence. "Anachronism! Coconut! Blue blistering barnacles, if you touch a hair on our heads…"

He was cut off with a shout of pain. Snowy had snuck behind the man tying Tintin and bit his leg, allowing Tintin to execute a quick punch, and to swipe his gun. The man was knocked out, and Tintin aimed the gun at his allies, who dropped their guns, knowing that Tintin was the better shot.

"Right!" said the reporter. "Thomson! Tie the unconscious man up. Thompson! Tie the rest of them up. They won't resist," he added, waving the gun a little. "Vicki! Take this gun to the pilot and tell him that we're headed for Caracas, instead of wherever they were going to dump us before. Good job, Snowy," he added to his dog, and gave him a quick pat on the head.

"Vicki," he whispered to his cousin before she scampered off to do her task, "Are you all right? It can be a bit frightening, if it's your first time getting threatened."

"I'm fine. Nice work." She gave Tintin a quick hug and ran to the cockpit, grinning to herself. She had only just began her revenge on the people who destroyed her life…

_And Tiger_, she thought sadly. No, she wouldn't rest until she had made those villains pay for what they had done to Tiger.

**Thanks for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! Little Christian, I checked out your Tintin stories, and I love them, especially the one about Snowy! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"And don't try any funny business. I warn you, I'm a good shot, and I know how to fly a plane." Tintin stood by Vicki as she shakily kept her gun pointed in the pilot's direction.

The pilot grumbled and shift the controls until the plane was turned around. Tintin checked the direction he was going, making sure he was doing it right.

"We'll have the police arrest them once we get to Caracas," Tintin informed her.

"Nonsense!" Thomson and Thompson poked their heads in the door of the cockpit.

"Why?" asked Vicki. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"_We're _police!" said Thomson.

"And if we're police, there's no need to have them arrested later when we could quite simply do it right now." Thompson crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Right, I understand your point." Tintin smiled at them. "And I am grateful for your help. But we don't want to burst into a country right off the bat and say, 'Here! We've arrested two of your citizens!' They probably won't exactly have a welcome committee ready for us."

"You know, that's quite right!" said Thompson, looking surprised.

"Yes, apparently they weren't even wanted by police in Venezuela," Thomson clarified.

"I was thinking maybe you two could go undercover." Tintin glanced over the pilot's shoulder to check that he was going the right way, then turned back to the Interpol detectives.

"Undercover!" said Thomson, perking up.

"Quite right, Thomson: take cover!" Thompson and Thomson strode out of the cockpit, happily conversing about disguises.

"That'll keep the occupied," said Vicki. "So, you honestly think that they won't like us marching into their country and arresting someone?"

"They won't like it one bit, but it's better to have the police there do it. We can use Thompson and Thomson when need be."

They sat in silence for a few seconds, before a shout of "Blistering barnacles!" rang through the plane.

"What's wrong, Captain?" called Tintin to the retired sea captain.

"Thundering typhoons," swore Captain as he rammed through the door. "I had the idea to search through their documents, and they had information on your brother, Vicki."

Vicki felt ice flow through her veins. "Tiger?" she breathed, eyes wide.

"Yes, Tiger," he replied. "Tintin, maybe you and I should talk in private," he added, glancing at Vicki's flabbergasted face and the grumbling pilot.

"No, I want to hear!" Vicki turned her attention to Captain.

"Let her know, Captain, she's not that young." Tintin seated himself on the floor of the plane, and patted the space next to him as an invitation for Vicki, who quickly took the seat. Captain Haddock remained standing, and as he spoke, he paced back and forth.

"What were you told about you brother, Vicki?" Captain asked.

"Honestly, not much," the girl replied. "Only that he was sent to a drug rehab. I hope he comes back soon. You see, I'm tired of him acting all drunk on that stuff, because really, before my parents showed him how to smoke, he was the best brother in the world…"

"I'm going to stop you there," the captain cut her off. "Tiger's not in a drug rehab, he's not coming back anytime soon, and I definitely wouldn't refer to him as the best brother in the world."

"What's happened to him, then?" asked Tintin.

"He's escaped from the rehab and joined forces with the drug smuggling business. And it's not just marijuana." Captain ticked off items on his fingers. "Steroids, heroin, and some even worse. Tiger's one of their best men- the documents describe him as 'the most clever of the bunch, brains of the organization'- and he apparently loves it. The documents mention you briefly, Vicki, but nothing major, just that you're Tiger's sister and it would be nice to have you out of the way."

Vicki stared in shock. "But Tiger…" she rasped, horrified.

Tintin bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Vicki," he said in a monotone.

"It can't be true! The documents were false! This is a joke! Tiger's spying on them for the police!" Vicki shouted out random excuses, each lamer than the last.

"It is true," said the pilot.

Captain, Vicki, and Tintin turned to stare at him.

"Beg pardon?" asked Tintin, listening intently.

"It is true. The documents were real. This isn't a joke. And Tiger would never betray us to the police." The pilot settled back in his seat and kept steering.

Tintin snatched the gun from Vicki and pushed it into the pilot's shoulder. "Tell us what you know about Tiger." He could feel the reporter side in him taking over. He just had to know what was going on with this mysterious Tiger.

"Tiger is about your age, Tintin. He's Vicki's sister. He doesn't like people talking about Vicki. He smokes even more drugs than the boss. He's won so many…"

"Who's the boss?" demanded Tintin.

"Rastapopoulos," returned the pilot. "Surely you knew that?"

"Of course I did," said Tintin, glancing out of the cockpit at Thomson and Thompson. "But how did Tiger escape?"

"He didn't escape. The boss bailed him out and Tiger decided to join our business." The pilot concentrated on his flight again.

"Pirate! Road roller! Shipwrecker! Toad!" Captain probably would have gone on forever if Tintin hadn't gently touched his arm.

"Captain. Please." Then he turned to the pilot. "Thank you. That's all I needed to know. How long before we get there?"

"Only an hour or so," the pilot answered. Captain stalked out, Tintin removed the gun from the pilot's shoulder, and Vicki sank to the ground, trying to hide her tears.

**Thanks for reading! Please R and R! LC (is it okay if I call you that?) don't worry, I'm not going to stop! Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad I have a regular reviewer. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Tintin was a reporter. He knew how to talk to people… and when _not _to talk to people.

And right now, he figured, Vicki wanted to be left alone.

He gave her an hour, until the pilot landed the plane at Caracas. The Thompsons insisted on exiting the plane first, since they were so eager about finding the Venezuela national dress.

"Does Venezuela _have _a national dress?" whispered Captain to Tintin as they followed the Thompsons.

Tintin shrugged. "If it doesn't, then they'll probably use Russian ones," he replied quietly, gesturing to the detectives.

"Good morning," said the Thompsons to the police who had run up to the plane.

Vicki was behind Tintin and Captain, and the reporter was aware that she hadn't gotten over Tiger yet. The pilot and the other prisoners were tied up still, and walking in front of Tintin, who held a gun. Tintin knew instantly that he was right in one respect; the police didn't look happy.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Tintin swiftly called to them. "They're all drug smugglers. We managed to overthrow them and get the plane here!"

The five policemen conversed in Spanish for quite a while, enough to get Tintin nervous. He didn't know that much Spanish, but he understood the basic concept of what they were discussing. Every now and then they would gesture towards one of the thugs, and on several occasions toward the Thompsons. Did they recognize them from Interpol? Tintin cringed. He had been planning on keeping it a secret that the two were police officers. The element of surprise is one of the best, and he was going to use any tool he could get his hands on.

"Come with us," ordered one of the policemen. Tintin, Snowy, Captain, Vicki, Thompson, and Thomson immediately obeyed. The drug-runners went in front, where everyone could keep an eye on them.

It was a short walk to the police station, only about five minutes. Tintin leaned towards Captain.

"See, I told you that Caracas was beautiful," he said in a low voice.

"Well, blistering barnacles, we sure had a fine start to our little romp around the world! What next, Antarctica?" Captain grumbled. When he saw Tintin's eyes light up at the last part, he muttered, "Thundering typhoons, lad, I was joking!"

"Did you actually go to the moon?" asked Vicki from behind them.

Glad that she was cheering up, Tintin smiled and nodded. "Professor Calculus said that he wanted to go back one day," he reminded the captain teasingly.

Captain groaned and put his head in his hands. Tintin laughed, but stopped when he saw the station.

"They're going to ask for your papers, have them at the ready," he hissed to his companions.

"Right!" said Thompson.

"Right!" said Thomson.

"Left!" said Captain when Thomson wandered a little too far to the right and rammed into a street lamp. Tintin laughed again, and even Vicki cracked a small smile.

Once inside the station, the crooks were put in a cell for the moment and, as Tintin had predicted, their papers were checked. Tintin told them the whole story about the events on the plane, and asked what would become of the thugs.

"They'll be given a fair trial," responded the policeman. "And I happen to know that those five are wanted thieves in Brazil, so that won't help their case much. Thank you, gentlemen- er, and you, Miss- you have done a good deed for this country. You may leave."

"We'll find a good hotel," said Tintin. "I think I see one there, up the road. Hey, where are the Thompsons?"

"They'll catch up soon, I'm sure," said Vicki, smirking a little. "They just went to get their disguises."

Tintin smiled, suppressing laughter, Captain rolled his eyes, and Snowy let out an amused bark. Vicki smiled to herself. She was beginning to feel better. Still… how could Tiger betray her like that? She shook the thought out of her head and returned to the conversation.

Ten minutes later, Tintin, Captain, and Vicki had each checked into a hotel and gotten their own room. Captain and Vicki were just across the hall to each other, but Tintin had been assigned to a room one floor up. It was about five o clock, Venezuela time, so they arranged to all meet at the dining hall in an hour.

Tintin was adjusting his watch when he heard a timid knock on his door. He opened it to reveal Vicki, who bit her lip and said quietly, "Can we talk?"

"I think we need to," her cousin replied, waving her in and abandoning his watch on his bed. "Here." He swept his suitcase off one of the two chairs in the room for her, then sat down in the other one.

"I'd like to find the headquarters tonight," announced Vicki, sitting down.

"I would too, but I don't see how." Tintin settled back in his chair and began twirling his heel around, so his foot went around in a circle. "We don't have any leads… I suppose we should have asked those prisoners."

"And why can't we do that now?" Vicki asked eagerly, her eyes sparkling, her tone thirsty for more information.

"Because they're in the hands of the police. We can't just go back and question them. It's the police's job to do that." Tintin leaned forward slightly. "What if we go to a bar?"

"What?" Vicki cried, startled.

"I've found plenty of information in bars before," Tintin explained, tapping his fingers on the chair in thought. "Bars are often where you find very dicey folk, that's for sure. We disguise ourselves- NOT like the Thompsons," he added when Vicki opened her mouth. "And we wait until they get really drunk. That's when they start spewing information. And then we follow them to the headquarters, sneak around a bit, find a new lead, go back to the hotel for the night, and follow our new lead in the morning."

"Should we bring the captain?" asked Vicki.

Tintin shook his head. "It's best not to bring Captain if there's going to be a bar involved. We'll tell him about our lead in the morning. I would like you to come along, though. If it gets too dangerous and you want to leave, just tell me. I could probably manage to get you out of whatever situation we're in and then go back and do it myself."

"I'm not giving up until all the criminals are in jail and Tiger's in a drug rehab," said Vicki stubbornly.

Tintin clutched his chair. How was he to tell her that Tiger was a criminal, and he would probably be going to jail along with Rastapopoulos and the rest?

"Right," he found himself saying. "It's five minutes till dinner. Why don't you fetch the captain, and I'll search for the Thompsons."

"Okay, Tintin. Thank you for everything." She smiled at him, and Tintin could tell she was trying to fit a lot into that smile; like a thank you for taking her in, welcoming her with open arms when there was no one else to care for her.

She left, and Tintin took the elevator down to the lobby, where Thomson and Thompson were just coming in.

Tintin had to really work to suppress his laugh this time, but he was sure that he was still smirking. The detectives really looked ridiculous this time, dressed in white pants, high, black leather boots that went up to their knees, and golden belt tied around their waists and trailing down to almost touch the floor, and velvet black shirts dotted with fine gold buttons.

Tintin couldn't help it. He let a quiet little snicker escape before rushing towards them.

"I say, Thomson! How does he always recognize us, despite our disguises?" Thompson asked.

"Hello, detectives," said Tintin. "Come, we're about to have dinner. Captain and Vicki are already at the dining room."

As the Thompsons led the way to their table, Tintin followed behind, turning his idea over and over in his mind. He had to get more answers.

**Please review! LC, thanks for reviewing! Tinkerbell2511, I'm glad you like Vicki. I try to make all my OCs a good addition to the story. Thanks for reading! J**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, everyone! As always, please read and review! LC, I bet they did too! (When don't they, honestly? ;)) But we'll have to wait and see if Tintin's plan works! **

** Also, disclaimer: sadly, I do not own Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, etc, etc. I only own Vicki, Tiger and the plot line. **

Chapter Seven

"Do I look twenty-one?"

Vicki sashayed around the hotel room, pausing in front of her ceiling-to-floor mirror. She was wearing a loose, elegant black dress, and her ginger hair was up in a complicated hairstyle.

"Well- Vicki, don't get me wrong, you look beautiful, but you look like a fifteen year old girl," her cousin observed truthfully.

Vicki sighed and sank onto her bed. "I know, Tintin, but if you let me wear that..." she pointed to a tight red dress that would hug her body, "I might look twenty-one."

"I don't want you wearing that," said Tintin firmly. "I don't want you to get dragged off by some drunk guy when I have my back turned."

"So don't turn your back," came the logical reply.

"I have to focus on the case, I can't baby-sit you." Tintin pondered over the dresses Vicki had just bought. "Why can't you just wear pants?"

"Believe me, I would if I could," said Vicki, who was one of the few girls Tintin had ever seen in anything besides a skirt or a dress. "Maybe it's my hair. Should I just let it hang down?"

"You're forgetting that Tiger has probably shown them photos of you, and that they want you out of the way," Tintin reasoned. "You always wear it down. And to get in that bar you have to be twenty-one…" he picked up a purple, lacy dress. "This'll do, I bet."

"I'll call you when I'm finished putting it on," promised Vicki, gesturing to her phone.

Tintin nodded and left, only to return five minutes later at her call.

"You look very nice," he praised her, and she did. But Vicki couldn't care less about that, and began leafing through pounds in her wallet.

"Do I look twenty-one?" asked Tintin. "I'm planning on wearing a gray trench coat and a cap so they won't recognize my hair."

"Put it on," his cousin said.

Tintin left to do the said task, and a couple minutes later he arrived in her room again.

"I think we're ready," she said happily. "I can barely tell that that's you, Tintin!"

"Really?" He looked pleased. "Good. If the bad guys don't know who I am, that'll help tremendously. Just let me fetch Snowy and I'll be right back."

He opened the door, but his faithful dog was already there, waiting patiently for his master to get him.

"There you are, Snowy." Tintin gently cradled his dog in his arms and then set him on the floor again. "No drinking tonight, okay, boy?"

He then turned to Vicki. "That goes for you, too," he told her.

"Aw, nuts," said Vicki sarcastically. "I was planning on having at least five shots."

Tintin rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair fondly.

"We need fake names," he told her in the elevator.

"I'm Vivienne and you're Tomas," his cousin said without thinking. "We're business partners that came to Venezuela on a gig and we decided to take a night to unwind."

"Sure," he said after thinking on it for a few seconds. "Make your voice a bit deeper, you need to sound twenty-one."

"How's this?" she asked, deepening her tone.

"Sure," he said. "Oh, wait- I hope dogs are allowed. And- Great snakes! Why didn't I think of that before?"

When the elevator reached the lobby and Tintin and Vicki stepped out, Tintin dashed toward the doors in such a hurry Vicki was afraid he'd trip over his own two feet. "Tin… I mean, Tomas?" she called, running after him.

"We need to find Snowy a place to hide close to the bar, before anyone gets there!" he panted. "We can't just bring him in, the drug-smugglers'll see him! Great snakes, I hope we're not too late!"

Vicki bit her lip and raced after her cousin, or tried to. Her dress kept dragging, and a couple of times she almost tripped. "Blasted gown," she muttered sullenly, finally slowing to a walk. Tintin could surely find a hiding spot on his own, and she knew the address.

When she reached the bar ten minutes later, Tintin, who didn't look like Tintin at all, smiled and executed a bow. "Dear Vivienne, I believe we deserve this break?"

"We do," said Vicki, hoping that she was a better actress than she thought herself to be.

The two cousins entered. Tintin had been right, it looked like a shady place. Honestly, Vicki couldn't blame Tintin for wanting her to wear something modest. She didn't like the way the men were looking at women who were scantily clad.

Tintin couldn't have been less interested. He was busy tuning into conversations, listening for the words "drugs" "marijuana" "smuggling" "Vicki" "Tintin" and "Tiger."

"Come, Vivienne," he said. "Let us sit over here."

He pointed to a specific table and listened to the men talking next to them, while Vicki took a seat and took in her surroundings.

It was big, full of tables, with a dancing floor in the middle. Around her, there were drunk people, men and women, even some children that had gotten past the guard. The dance floor was occupied with respectable people dancing to slow music, no criminals there. The lights were dim, so dim that Vicki couldn't see more than ten feet in front of her.

"Vivienne." Tintin poked her, hard. "Listen."

"Back to the… boss… new deal… Tiger… sister… cousin…"

Vicki could only catch snatches of conversation. Tintin listened intently.

"Would you like anything, sir? Anything for you, ma'am?"

A waitress appeared next to them. Tintin jumped and turned to face her.

"Oh! Yes, um… hmm… do you have… Ah! Whiskey and Coke mixed, please, hold the whiskey."

"So just the Coke?" she asked him, eyebrow raised.

"Yes! Diet would be great, thanks," he added.

The waitress rolled her eyes and wrote the order down. "Next time, sir, please be straight forward."

Tintin ignored her, and when she left he returned to listening. A few minutes later, the waitress set a can of soda on the table. Tintin didn't look up, so Vicki paid for the drink.

"They're leaving! Now we just have to follow…" Tintin broke off as he stared at the can of soda on the table. "Where did that come from? Maybe we should pay for it. Vicki, I told you not to get anything!"

Vicki sighed. Tintin always got rather absent-minded when presented with a case.

"Come on, forget about the soda!" Vicki took the lead, and the cousins burst out the door and tried to discreetly follow the criminals.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the drug-smugglers disappeared into a rusty gate. Tintin, Vicki, and Snowy, who had been hiding in the bushes, followed.

When they rounded the corner beyond the gate, Vicki got the surprise of her life.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! I'd just like to take a quick second to thank all my readers, especially LC and Tinkerbell2511. You guys rock! It helps me so much to know that people are enjoying my work. :) **

** Disclaimer- I ****_still_**** do not own Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, the Thom(p)sons, etc, etc, and am making no profits off this story except feeling happy every time someone reviews! Now, on with the story!**

"Mr. Brown?" Vicki gasped to her fourth grade teacher, as Tintin cried out, at the same time, "Rastapopoulos?"

The cousins turned to stare at each other. As Vicki asked, "That's Rastapopoulos?" Tintin asked, "Who's Mr. Brown?"

"I am both," snickered the man in front of them. "Tintin, if you'll remember that little scandal on flight 714? Allan and I got a case of amnesia and couldn't remember a single thing about how we had gotten off the island. (**A/N: If you've read Flight 714, you'll remember that the aliens picked up Rastapopoulos and the rest of his gang. I'm assuming that the aliens dropped them off somewhere in Europe and left them to wander around. Rastapopoulos, as I'm sure you've inferred, returned to his old ways of crime.**) So I became a school teacher," the crook said, nodding to Vicki. "It was the easiest way to earn some money quick."

"No, it really wasn't," Tintin disagreed. "School teachers don't get paid much."

"Ah, my dear Tintin, you are only too correct," Rastapopoulos sneered, blowing out a perfect ring of cigar smoke. "But who would suspect a school teacher of crime?"

"So that's why you hated me!" Vicki cried. "That's why you made me stay after school every day. Tiger, back when he was a good brother, tried to fight you. But you never listened to him. And now look at you. You're working alongside him!"

Rastapopoulos shrugged. "When I found out you two were Tintin's cousins…"

"Oh, crumbs!" cried out Tintin suddenly.

Rastapopoulos and Vicki turned to stare at the reporter in confusion.

"How silly of me! I forgot that Tiger was my cousin as well." Tintin looked rather befuddled. "How could I have not thought of that?" he asked himself out loud.

Vicki had just realized that as well. She liked to think of Tintin as only her cousin, but when she thought about it, Rastapopoulos was right- Tiger was Tintin's cousin as well.

Rastapopoulos rolled his eyes. "Please, can we continue? Now, Vicki, when I learned you and Tiger were Tintin's cousins, I had only to make your lives miserable. I knocked on the door of your little house, and sold your parents their first marijuana, assuring them that it was perfectly safe. I knew that the next morning you had come downstairs to find them high, because when you arrived at school that morning you had tears in your eyes, and Tiger had walked to school with you. I figured it was only a matter of time before my real plan went into effect…

"I did not put you in detention that day, if you remember. I wanted you to get right home, the sooner the better. Only Tiger was stopping you from going completely insane. And the plan would soon take care of him. It was about three months later in the year that I knew my plan had gotten him. Your parents offered your brother marijuana. He refused, knowing what it could do. Your parents insisted, started screaming at him…"

"How did you know?" cried Vicki, who had been watching from the stairs.

"I was there, my dear. Out by the bushes, listening through the open window." Rastapopoulos sneered at the girl. "They told them that if he didn't try it, they were going to hurt _you_, Vicki."

Vicki winced at the memory, and Rastapopoulos was about to go on, before Tintin put his arm around Vicki and glared at Rastapopoulos. "Can't you see you're killing her?" he snapped at the gangster. "Stop it!"

"Luciano!" called Rastapopoulos lazily to one of his thugs, who pulled out a gun on Vicki and Tintin. "You'll listen to me however much I want you to. And stop comforting her!" Rastapopoulos snapped at Tintin, who took his arm off his cousin but held her hand behind his back.

"Now. I heard you scream at this, Vicki, though your parents were too high to notice. Tiger did, though, because there was a silence. Finally, I heard him accept the drug. I heard you protest, Vicki, but he took it.

"The next day at school, you tried to run away but the police caught you. They asked you what was wrong, and you responded nothing. At the end of the year, Tiger, who had been your last stronghold, was gone, replaced by some marijuana addict." Rastapopoulos finished his story and gestured grandly at himself. "I had enough money to travel to South America, but some drugs and some workers, and get my business going. Before I knew it, I was a millionaire again. Funny how things work out sometimes, hm?"

Snowy growled. Tintin snarled. Vicki glared.

"Take them away, boys," Rastapopoulos ordered. "To the prison room. Don't let the girl see Tiger!"

"What are you going to do with us?" Tintin asked furiously as he was handcuffed.

"You'll see," said Rastapopoulos slyly. "And this mangy mutt won't be helping you, either!" he added, kicking Snowy out of the gate and closing it. Snowy growled again and attempted to climb the wall, only to lose traction and skid slowly back down.

"Snowy!" cried Tintin, before he was gagged by one of Rastapopoulos's men. Vicki was also bound and gagged, and the two cousins were led around the corner, where a mansion, twice as big as Marlinspike Hall, met their eyes. They were led inside, and to a prison room, where each got their own separate cell.

Their gags were taken off, so when the gangsters left the room, Tintin immediately said, "Well, we're in a tight fix this time, now aren't we?"

Vicki couldn't help but agree.


	9. Chapter 9

**So here's the next chapter! Not much action in this one, sorry, but lots in the next, I promise! Tinkerbell2511, I'm glad you like this fanfic ;) I was hesitant about whether to post it on here or not, and I'm glad I did! LC, I know what you mean about Tiger and Tintin; I didn't realize that until I brought Rastapopoulos in! It's kind of weird to think about, isn't it?**

** Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Tintin, Captain, Snowy, etc, etc. (I think we all know that.) I only own Vicki and Tiger. Wow! Long A/N, sorry! **

Chapter Nine

Tintin paced the jail cell, restless as a caged lion.

Well, he had always reminded Vicki a bit of a lion, with all his brave stunts, his sharp mind, and his noble values. And here he was, in a cage. So, stupid simile, really, Vicki told herself, grimacing.

"I can't find anything to help us," he told her, grabbing the bars and shaking them vigorously, an action to which the bars did not seem inclined to respond.

Vicki jumped up and aided him in his search, checking every crevice she could find. The floor tiles showed no sign of lifting, the door could not be opened, and worst of all, she was stuck in a dress with an elaborate hairdo. Yep. She was really living the dream life now.

Tintin sighed, letting his fingers slide over everything they could reach: the wall, the floor, the door to the cage. He felt nothing. Turning to Vicki, he let a slight smirk light up his face. "And that, my dear Vicki, is what you get for being related to me. By blood or by friendship," he added, thinking of Captain and Snowy.

"I think it's worth it," commented Vicki, who still hadn't taken for granted that Tintin had taken her in when no one else she knew would.

Tintin smiled sadly, sinking down to the floor and trying the tiles again. "And even if we did get them up, it's not like Mr. Wang would be waiting for us," he sighed.

"Who?" Vicki asked.

"Long story. Did you read my article on the Cigars of the Pharaoh?" he asked her.

"No," she replied.

"Oh. The Blue Lotus?"

"Tintin! Please, can we try to get out?"

"We are," her cousin responded. "Wait," he said, an idea lighting up his face. "A bobby pin! Do you have a bobby pin?"

"Sorry," she said, shrugging helplessly.

"Any piece of jewelry that can get into a tight space?" he questioned her, scanning her outfit for necklaces or bracelets or rings.

Again she shrugged. Tintin sighed. "I suppose we'll wait and see what they do with us. If they take us out, we can probably make a run for it. Until then, keep looking!"

And so they did. The two cousins shook the cell to its core, searching and searching, looking and looking. Eventually, a wall of silence began to build up, and tension came along with it. Tintin bit his lip. He shouldn't have brought his cousin, his fifteen-year-old cousin! Then again, he was seventeen, and he had been able to get himself out of all sorts of tight situations, right? This one shouldn't be any different.

"I'm sorry about Tiger, Vicki," said Tintin quietly, before he could stop himself.

"I know. There's nothing either of us could do about it, he went his own path. But I had forgotten it was because he was defending me…" Vicki let her voice trail off, a wave of guilt surging through her like a wave crashing onto a beach. Tiger's position was all her fault.

Tintin sensed her thoughts. "Victoria!" he cried. "How dare you insult yourself like that! You, a worthy girl… Nothing was your fault. This was all Rastapopoulos's sick idea to get revenge on me. Your parents weren't your fault, Tiger isn't your fault, nothing is your fault!" He stood up, hands on hips, and faced her. Her face was white, and her hands were shaking. But he could see a calculating gaze in her blue eyes, and he knew that at the back of her mind, she was torturing herself ruthlessly, wondering if she would see Tiger by the time this was all over.

"I know," she said, her head down. "Tintin, I'm lucky to have such a good cousin. I don't deserve you."

"Yes, you do. Don't be silly." Tintin hugged her briefly, feeling rather awkward. He hadn't known he had a cousin a month ago, and now here he was, embracing her as if they had known each other since infancy. "There's a way out of here. And don't you blame yourself for a second, Vicki. I have a feeling we'll make it."

"I believe you. I trust you," Vicki told her cousin. "Now, come on! We don't have a second to spare. What do you suppose they'll do to us?"

"Well, based on my past experiences." Tintin paused to gather his thoughts. "Based on my past experiences, they'll probably want to tie us to posts outside, Tiger's probably going to want to see you before we die, to gloat, most likely, and then, bang- it'll all be over."

She gazed at him, startled.

"That's if it goes their way," he reminded her, grinning. "Our way is much less savage."

"I should hope so," said the girl faintly. "Where do you think Snowy is?"

"Snowy's probably trying to find his way back to the hotel. Unfortunately, I don't think he shall be successful… he usually tries to find things by scent, and considering how busy this city is, our trail's long been covered up. Snowy couldn't possibly have memorized his way back, though, could he?" Tintin thought on it, then shrugged. "Probably not. It's up to us, Vicki."

"I think we can do it," she told him bravely, gripping his hand firmly and shaking it.

"I agree," her cousin said, smiling. "Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

Again they searched, and failed. Vicki, slumped against the wall yawned as Tintin frantically stood and looked around.

"Tintin… it's three AM," said Vicki, glancing at her watch. She was dead tired of this place, and wished she was back at the hotel, sleeping.

"I know. They'll probably come get us in the morning. Great snakes, I'm always out by now!" Tintin grabbed the bars and jiggled them again. The end result was an exhausted Tintin, and the bars still firmly in place.

Vicki had never been so bored- and yet so scared- in her life. What was going to happen when the thugs came to get them?

Two hours later, the sun was beginning to rise, and Tintin was working himself into a nervous sweat, Vicki joining in. The gray walls were beginning to make Vicki feel like vomiting, and Tintin had removed his trench coat and hat. Vicki wished she could take her dress off, but she had nothing on underneath.

And so they paced, awaiting daybreak.

"Shh! Listen!" Tintin jumped up, holding a finger to Vicki's lips.

She pushed it away. "What, Tintin, what?"

"Footsteps!"

And so they were, ruffling through the grass outside… more foes, or perhaps, rescuers?


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, so first, my usual shout-out to reviews: LC, don't worry, you're about to find out! (DUN DUN DUN) Tinkerbell2511: Thanks for catching that mistake! I'm sorry to anyone else who noticed that. tarah: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad I'm in character! And lindam 2254, as always, thanks for reviewing! Nice nickname, by the way :D Thanks for catching that mistake as well! This story does seem to be full of them! I'll be sure to edit that! I'm only guessing on Tintin's age, and yes, he really does say great snakes in the English version. Which, of course, means I say it all the time now, too. :)**

** I don't own Tintin or anything you recognize, only Vicki and Tiger. Now, on with the chapter!**

Chapter Ten

"Blistering barnacles! Watch out for that bush, you two, it's- ouch! Thorny!"

Tintin leaned out the window to track the source of the whispered command. "Captain! Snowy! Thompson! Thomson! How did you find us?"

"What?" Vicki, who had been sprawled out on the floor as if dead, jumped up. "They're here?"

"Thundering typhoons, be quiet, lass!" Captain shushed her, and Vicki fell silent instantly. "Tintin. The bars. We're going to try to pull them out."

"Good luck with that. I've been trying the whole night. But why are you…"

"Shh!" Captain hissed. "We have a rope. And the Thompsons," he gestured to the detectives, who were starting to look quite unsure of themselves, "Are going to call the police and pretend to be normal civilians, if you still don't want to expose that they work for Interpol."

"But we like being police officers," whined Thompson.

"Be quiet, Thompson, police must do their dobal luties… global suities…"

"Noble duties?" asked Tintin gently.

Captain rolled his eyes. "Those two jellyfish will be the death of me one day. Anyhow, lad, I've got a car out front. I'm going to bring it around while Snowy runs around, distracting them. Oh, don't worry, he hasn't gotten shot yet. The Thompsons will call the police, and everything will be fine. Also, don't either of you two landlubbers sneak off like that again, okay?" Captain disappeared from the window.

"Yes!" Vicki hugged Tintin. "This is awesome! But how did they get here, I wonder?"

"The same way we always get out of situations like this," explained Tintin, beaming. "Skill. And quite a bit of luck."

"Good enough for me," said Vicki happily, shaking her ginger hair out of its complicated knot. "I can't wait to be out of this place."

About five minutes later, the two cousins heard Snowy barking, Rastapopoulos cursing, and a car's engine revving. Nobody seemed to hear it- Tintin was cringing at the shouts outside the door.

"Kill it! Shoot it down!"

"Guns no powder, boss!"

"Oh, I'll give you a guns no powder! Get over here, you oversized white rat!"

The car was advancing slowly. Vicki could barely hear the motor purring. Inside, Captain was cursing under his breath, pressing his foot on and off of the gas. Outside the door, Snowy led the thugs farther and farther away. Hopefully, they wouldn't hear the crash when the bars slid out. Vicki bit her lip, wondering where in the world Tiger could possibly be. Was he here in this building, or in another of the headquarters?

"Okay! Tintin, Vicki, listen up! Tie the rope to the bars firmly! A good sailor's knot!" Captain called.

"Got it, Captain!" Tintin yelled back, after obeying his orders.

"All secure, lad? Right, here we go! Blistering barnacles, let's hope this tin can holds up," Captain muttered, patting the car's hood.

"Just go!" screamed Tintin and Vicki at the same time.

The car sped up. The iron bars came flying out, just like in an action movie. Vicki admired this for a minute, then clambered out, falling perfectly on her feet, followed by Tintin, who jumped onto the roof of Captain's car.

"Hurry, Vicki!" he shouted.

Vicki rolled her eyes. There's Tintin for you- always one step ahead of everyone in the situation. The car kept going, so she hightailed after it and executed a perfect flying leap, barely making it onto the car.

"Nice," Tintin praised her. "Captain!" he yelled through the open window. "The Thompsons, and Snowy…"

"Relax, lad, the Siamese twins and your little troublemaker are coming. The Thompsons are telephoning the police. Calm down."

The car made its way to the front of the building. Snowy came rocketing out, yipping his little white head off. Tintin caught his dog, who had leapt through the air. Thompson and Thomson were standing at the front entrance and jumped into the car swiftly, arguing about something.

"As soon as we get home," Tintin shouted to Vicki over the roaring of the car's engine, "We might finally get some answers!"


	11. Chapter 11

Okay, here's the next chapter! Sorry I've been a little slow on updates, but school, volleyball, and other things have been keeping me busy. Standardized tests coming up… ugh… Anyway, thanks to my faithful reviewers, LC, lindam2254, and Tinkerbell2511. You guys are awesome! Also, thanks to dream lighting for following the story. And adding it to her favorites! Okay, I STILL do not own Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, etc, etc.

Chapter Eleven

Vicki imagined that a car with two young teenagers and a dog on its roof would attract quite a lot of attention, and her musings were correct. Policemen yelled in Spanish, civilians looked on in wonder, and dogs began to bark. Snowy growled at them, and Tintin held his mouth closed.

"Blistering barnacles, climb in the window, will you?" Captain didn't like the attention.

"There's not enough room," Tintin reasoned. "When we get back to the hotel, we'll go to my room, it's the biggest, you see, and discuss how you knew where we were."

"Well, it's quite simple, really, but at the same time very complicated," Captain yelled up to the cousins over the roar of the car.

"That's what you told me in the desert, remember? Land of Black Gold?" Tintin asked.

"I read your article on that!" Vicki exclaimed. "Are you ever going to tell us?"

"I would have a lot earlier if Abdullah hadn't interrupted me, lass," growled Captain. "Arabian nightmare! Bashi-bazouk! Purple jellyfish!" Tintin rolled his eyes at Vicki, who grinned. Snowy let out a small whimper as they neared the hotel, and Vicki wondered how Captain and the Thompsons had found them.

"That's put pay to Rastapopoulos," said Tintin, but with no finality in his voice. Vicki knew what he was thinking: they still needed to catch the rest of them. And that meant catching Tiger. "I'm guessing the police have arrived already," Tintin said. "And they're putting them in handcuffs this moment, and searching the house for drugs. And looking for any information. Tomorrow, Vicki, you and I will visit the police station and ask them about any evidence they found. Then, we can look for more hideouts. Except let's not go to that bar again." Vicki breathed a silent sigh of relief, before Tintin continued: "Nope, we're going to another one!"

"Quoting you, great snakes!" sighed Vicki. "I don't want to go to another bar. I want to change back into normal clothes. Not this itchy dress!"

"Lass, I hate to break it to you, but most girls wear 'itchy dresses' all the time!" Captain called up as he brought the car to a stop.

"Thank heavens I'm not most girls then!" Vicki slid off the roof of the car. Tintin followed her, and Thompson and Thomson exited the car- but not without bumping their heads.

"These car roofs need to be higher!" Thompson declared.

"Quite right, Thompson; these high roofs need to be cared for!" Thomson said, rubbing his head. Captain rolled his eyes, Tintin smiled, and Vicki stifled a giggle. Snowy, however, did not look amused, and headed for the hotel's entrance, his master close behind.

Once they got in, they grabbed their various keys from the front desk and went to the elevator. The people in the lobby, employees and otherwise, laughed at the Thompsons ridiculous outfits, but they didn't seem to notice, and their companions were used to the detectives drawing attention to themselves. A few minutes later, the companions had gathered in the living area of Tintin's room, and Tintin had ordered some biscuits and crackers. None of them had eaten since dinner last night, so they devoured the food eagerly. When it had vanished, Tintin gestured to Captain to begin.

"I woke up at about four AM," he explained. "The hotel was silent. I thought it was morning, because it was light outside. So I got up and got dressed, and knocked at your door."

"And you didn't think to check the clock?" Tintin asked, a little smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"You know how it is with time adjustments when you get to another time zone, lad. I could have sworn it was seven in the morning! I saw no need to check. So I knocked on your door, and you didn't answer. I couldn't believe you weren't awake, because you always get up early. So I went down to the breakfast room, and you weren't there, either. I was getting rather worried, when I saw your and Vicki's keys on the front desk. I dragged the Thompsons out of bed, waited for them to put on their clown costumes (and they took their time, the buffoons!) and headed straight out the door."

"Then what? How did you find the house we were in?" Vicki asked.

"The detectives and I found Snowy wandering about a mile down the road. He looked absolutely panic-stricken, and we followed him to the house. I saw your shadow behind a barred window, so I high-tailed it to the car rental place. I got one quickly, and the Thompsons got some rope, and we hurried back. And… well, here we are!" Then Captain leaned forward. "But you two. Thundering typhoons, you two just got up and left in the middle of the night! I think you owe us an explanation."

"Exactly. You owe us an explanation," clarified Thomson.

"Quite," agreed Thompson.

"You two parrots shut up!" Captain roared at them. "It's bad enough I had to work with you! Ten thousand thundering…"

"Captain, please!" Tintin grabbed one of Captain's flailing arms. "Vicki and I went out to a bar."

"Vicki and you WHAT?" cried Captain.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Vicki said quickly. "We didn't get anything to drink. Well… except for that Coke, that is."

"Vicki, I told you not to get anything!" Tintin scolded. "I know it's just soda, but still…"

Vicki rolled her eyes at her cousin. "Ignore him. We followed some criminals out, and they led us to the house. Mr. Brown- er, I mean, Rastapopoulos- was there. You see, he was my fourth grade teacher, and his fake name was Mr. Brown…"

"We'll get into that later," said Tintin. "But either way, he locked us up, and that's where you found us. I suppose you had better return that car."

"Never fear. I will!" said Thompson, standing up.

"NO!" cried everyone in the room, except Thomson.

"Why ever not?" inquired Thompson, looking bewildered. Tintin laughed.

"Don't worry about it. Let's all get some lunch. Those biscuits were good, but not a full meal. Come on, everyone."


End file.
